Establishment of the 'Pet Guardianship Lab' in April 2026, Jointly by the Center for Human and Animal Symbiosis, PETOKOTO, HAL Administrative Scrivener Office, and Little Family Insurance

The specified non-profit organization, the Center for Human and Animal Symbiosis (Headquarters: Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, Chairperson: Yoriyuki Okuda, hereinafter "Center for Human and Animal Symbiosis"), along with PETOKOTO Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Taisuke Okubo, hereinafter "PETOKOTO") which develops pet wellness businesses, HAL Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist Office (Headquarters: Kohoku-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Representative Administrative Scrivener: Satomi Tashiro), and Little Family Small Amount & Short Term Insurance Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Taito-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Kazu Itaya, hereinafter "Little Family"), jointly established the "Pet Guardianship Lab" on April 1, 2026. This initiative aims to deeply root the "Pet Guardianship" system in society, which protects pets' lives in the event something happens to their owners.

What is the Pet Guardianship Lab?
The Pet Guardianship Lab is an industry-wide co-creation platform where pet-related companies, experts, and NPOs collaborate to conduct awareness-raising, research, system design, and business co-creation with the goal of "implementing a system in society that protects the future of pets."
The official website publishes basic knowledge on pet guardianship, case studies, and ways for companies to participate, promoting co-creation across the entire industry.

To Support the Lives of the Elderly and Pets
In a super-aging society, there is an increasing number of cases where pets lose their homes due to the hospitalization or death of their owners.
On the other hand, animal welfare centers and rescue organizations find it difficult to transfer pets to the elderly due to age limits, resulting in issues such as the stagnation and overcrowding of rescued dogs and cats.
However, the risk of difficulty in keeping pets for healthy 65-year-olds is estimated to be around 5 to 10%, and the voices from the field are growing stronger that "if there is a system to prepare for emergencies, we can save both the elderly and rescued dogs/cats."
Pet Guardianship is a mechanism born to solve this social issue.

Roles of Participating Companies
Various areas of expertise necessary for the social implementation of pet guardianship have converged for the establishment of this lab.
Specified Non-profit Organization, Center for Human and Animal Symbiosis (...